Yours to Keep by Claudia Burgoa
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Darren
It takesme a week to gather the courage to look for Vance. It’s Saturday night when I find him at his second favorite place, the patio he and his brothers built. He’s with all his family. I don’t want to barge inside, but I need to talk to him.
When Pierce spots me, he says, “Finally, someone decided to show up.”
“Pierce.” I salute him.
I find Vance almost immediately. He’s sitting closer to the lake, holding one of the twins. I know he loves all his nephews, but I’m starting to think that Thayer and Holton are his favorites. I move to where he sits and finally speak, “Good evening, Van. Hey, everyone.”
Van glances at me and then turns his attention back to the lake. Everybody else is watching me expectantly.
“Can we talk, Vance?” I ask.
“Is it important? Because if it’s about giving me my stuff or…This is one of our last weekends together, and I’d rather not waste family time with nonsense.”
“Look at him. He loves us,” Beacon says. “Also, can we highlight that this is the first time when an Aldridge didn’t fuck up? We’re getting better at this love shit.”
Vance glares at him.
“Still not afraid of you,” his brother taunts him.
I pull my hands from my pockets. “I’m not returning your stuff. I’m hoping that you won’t leave my sorry ass. I understand why you’re upset. Last weekend was intense. My parents were out of line.”
He snorts and says, “Boundaries.”
“As you know, they lack boundaries. They’re always out of line. I let them because I thought they had the right because I had a messy relationship that almost destroyed me.”
He sighs, rises from his seat, and hands the baby to Henry.
“Let’s go,” he says.
“But I want to listen,” one of his brothers complains.
“You’re giving in too easily,” another adds.
Vance shakes his head as he leads the way outside the patio area and toward the gate.
“Where do you want to go?” I ask.
“Your house, or my family is going to find a way to listen to our conversation. I’m going to tell them later, but right now, I don’t want them to interrupt,” he says.
We walk in silence. When we arrive at my place, I open the door and let us inside. Vance closes the door and leans against it, crossing his arms. “I’m all ears.”
“His name is Isaac,” I begin my story.
“We became friends in middle school. We went to high school together. Like every other teenager, we were curious about girls, sex, and porn. We learned how to kiss with each other. We were each other’s first in every possible way. We discovered we liked boys more than we liked girls. We were in love. My parents were pretty supportive of Isaac and me. His mom was cool about it too.
“We went to the same college. I always knew I was going to be a doctor like my grandfather. He wasn’t sure about his future. Some days, he wanted to be a teacher while others, he wanted to study business and work in the financial district. We had plans. Med school, grad school, a wedding, children, and everything two gay guys in love could dream of. But you know what they say, life happens while you’re making plans.
“During freshman year, we were roommates. He would party while I was busy studying. His motto was you only go to college once. Several times, I found him on the floor unconscious. I thought he was getting drunk all the time. He wasn’t. He had a brain tumor. His insurance wasn’t going to cover the surgery or the treatment. My parents loved him like a son, and Dad suggested I marry him so we could help him. After all, we planned on marrying someday.
“Honestly, knowing what I know now, it would’ve been cheaper to pay for his surgery out of pocket. That’s not the point of the story, though. We got married. After a couple of months, my insurance approved the surgery, and Dad paid for part of the treatment. By that time, we had moved in with my parents so they could help me with Isaac while I was still going to school.
“Like with every surgery, there were risks. He could die, his personality could change, or he could lose some or all mobility. While I was learning all that, I decided I’d become a neurologist. I didn’t want to tell a family that maybe I’m good enough to save their loved one, but perhaps he’d die. I wanted to be the guy who saved everyone. Later in life, I learned that not everyone can be saved.
“Isaac didn’t die, but his personality changed. I’m not sure if it was the experience of the surgery or…Maybe it was a combination of both. Once he recovered, we moved out of my parents’ house. He asked me to buy a studio because living in a dorm was lame. I hated to use my trust fund, but I did it for him. We stayed married for three years. He hated that I stayed late studying, that I didn’t want to celebrate his second chance, that I breathed while he was in the same room.
“Up until this week, I didn’t know why he stayed with me for so long, but he did. Once I asked him for the divorce, things got ugly. He kept everything I owned. His lawyer claimed it was my fault Isaac couldn’t go back to school or get a job. I made him go through the surgery. To avoid further issues, like insurance fraud, Dad paid them. Isaac kept the studio, my car at the time, my trust fund, and some money my father had given him.
“Dad hasn’t forgiven me. He didn’t care that I had lost the boy I had loved since I was a teenager. That’s why Mom is obsessed with finding me another man. She wants me to be happy again. She swears I’m still heartbroken. I’m not. I just don’t want to go through another bad breakup.”
When I’m done, I finally look up at him and say, “I guess we weren’t that different. I didn’t want to feel either.”
“Why did he stay with you for so long?”
“Money. He was afraid to go back to living with his mom. He didn’t know if he’d be able to work. After the surgery, he had trouble concentrating, and it’s hard for him to do some simple tasks. We didn’t notice. He didn’t say anything because he felt useless. We were too young.”
“You were. I’m sorry but marrying at nineteen to save your boyfriend wasn’t the solution.”
“My parents shouldn’t have suggested that we get married. I loved him, but he wasn’t the love of my life. We were too different.”
“Is he okay?”
“He is. I didn’t ask much about him. I just wanted to close the chapter.”
“Your parents are intense.”
“I spoke to them, set realistic boundaries between us. I blamed myself for what happened to Isaac. If I had noticed that he wasn’t drunk but sick. If I hadn’t pushed for the surgery, if…if someone had told me that it wasn’t my fault. But it wasn’t until I almost lost this awesome guy that I noticed I hadn’t let myself live for years.”
“A guy, huh?”
“Yes. This broody man who has trouble recognizing emotions. However, he resuscitated my heart. I realized that I love you. I don’t know if this will ever work, but even if it’s for only one day, let me love you.”
Vance captures my face and traps my lips with his in a rough, demanding kiss. I tangle my fingers in his hair, thrusting my tongue into his mouth. “I don’t know what to do with you, Darren Russell. You’re a city rat barging into a town claiming that you don’t want anything, and you’re offering me your heart.”
“How can I not when you’re the most amazing person I’ve ever met?”
“I love you too,” he says.
“What’s that? You caught feelings.” I’m trying to lighten things up because I don’t want it to be uncomfortable.
“Are you making fun of me, Russell?”
“Never. You have five brothers to do that. I’m here to love you and take care of you, babe.”
“Nine brothers, but let’s not discuss my family right now,” he says, wrapping his arms around me, holding me tightly against his body. His warm breath against my neck makes my insides clench. “I want tonight to be about us. I missed you.”
“Did you miss me enough to want to marry me?” I ask, a little hesitant.
He smiles. “Yes. I missed you enough to never want to let you go. Marry me, Darren Russell.”
My eyes fill with moisture because I never thought I’d want to be with another man. I believed I didn’t deserve to be happy or have a guy look at me the way he does.
“Nothing would make me happier than spending the rest of my life with the reformed grouch of the town,” I say.
A huge smile tugs at his lips. He jerks me forward and kisses me, tangling his hands in my hair. A throaty moan escapes me as he caresses the nape of my neck, and our tongues continue dancing for a long time. I tilt my head and suck the nape of his neck the way he likes it.
“I’m glad you came to see me, but just so you know, I planned to come tonight. I already had everything planned. I wasn’t going to let you go that easily.”
“Seems like you want me all to yourself, Aldridge.”
“Always.” His answer resonates against my lips.
